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Your opinions: Nov. 15

New Mexico has a chance to perform something truly noble for the conservation of our planet’s biodiversity. The state is uniquely poised to help ensure the continuity of one of the most endangered mammals in th

Your opinions: Nov. 15

New Mexico has a chance to perform something truly noble for the conservation of our planet’s biodiversity. The state is uniquely poised to help ensure the continuity of one of the most endangered mammals in the world, the Mexican gray wolf.

Habitat critical to ensuring gray wolf survival abounds in New Mexico, and it would be thriving now were it not for decades-old, misguided predator-extermination policies that all but eliminated it from North America. The current breeding and reintroduction program has been blocked by the New Mexico governor and Game Commission. This comes at a critical point where the program must be accelerated and enhanced if the minimal population sizes necessary for wolf survival are to be established and maintained.

In nature, elk and deer make up 85 percent of the wolf’s diet, and this culling leads naturally to healthier elk and deer populations. The threat to human and cattle populations is demonstrably minimal. Only two cases of human deaths in North America have been reported in the last 100 years. And, in a study of an area with 40,000 cattle, only 300 (0.75 percent) have been killed by wolves since 1998. Moreover, funds are available for methods to reduce cattle loss.

As a top predator, the gray wolf provides a critical linchpin to a cascade of ecological effects that help maintain the health of the ecosystems in which they live. And vibrant, natural ecosystems are one of the main draws for ecotourists — and their eco-dollars — to New Mexico. Few will be drawn to see where wolves could have been but for the intransigence of our state’s governor and Game Commission. I call on them to end their opposition and allow the gray wolf a chance to survive.

Mark Courtney,

Las Cruces

Sun-News edit board should be transparent

Note that in your Oct. 30 issue, the editorial board chose not to make an endorsement in the race for U.S. president. Walt Rubel’s commentary on the same page suggests the three members of the board have differing political philosophies and could not reach a decision.

In today’s political world, there is much ado about transparency. Why doesn’t each of the three editorial board members state his or her case and endorsement and sign it. I guess freedom of the press allows editorial board members to hide in anonymity. Are you afraid that you might offend some of your readership if you came out of the dark?

Lehman Barnes,

Las Cruces

FBI director has damaged the agency’s integrity

FBI Director James Comey, a lifelong Republican until recently, let politics cause him to become the Republican FBI director, not the U.S. FBI director. He did this by not following longstanding Justice Department protocol and revealing an investigation, that is not normally done. The FBI director should not be a political partisan. This is the equivalent of the IRS deciding the information on Donald Trump’s tax return needs to be made public for the voters to make informed decision on who to vote for.